San Jose State University Top Questions

Out my college experience, I've been able to witness a variety of different things. I've never been around such a diverse community! It's wonderful and you get to meet people from all over! I am a first generation student and getting the opportunity to go off and to explore new surroundings has been such an amazing and mind blowing experience. I imagined college to be much like high school, but it is far from it. I noticed that you don't need to raise your hand to excuse yourself to go to the restroom or to leave class early. Everything you do in college is all on your own and you grow or become even more independent in college. College thus far has been a tremendous experience for me and I would do it all over again if I could get a chance to. I love it a lot!

What I've gotten out of my college experience so far is time management. Although I don't have many responsibilities besides going to class there are times when I have to stay up all night in order to finish an essay or a project. In my second year of university, I've learned that sometimes saying no to friends and staying in to do homework is the best decision I can make. It might be tempting to go out on Thursday and party instead of getting a head start on a research paper, but in the long run skipping the party and beginning the paper make for a less stressful weekend and a better paper. I've learned this lesson the hard way -several times in fact- but every time I decide to skip the night out in favor of a night working on a paper, I've gotten a better grade and more sleep.

Being in college (and away from parents) has allowed me to form my own opinions and what I truly feel about my future. I have been able to meet people from all different walks of life and make friends with people whom Inever thought I'd be compatible with. I am able to see how far I would go to succeed and what my limitations are. I have truly discovered my own preferences and what lifestyle fits me instead of trying to fit into societal norms. Sometimes I find myself feeling quite conflicted between family traditions and personal goals, but being in college has given me the confidence to take the path least treaded.

Upon coming to college i got a sense of the adult world by being on my own and experiencing what it is feels like to enter adulthood for the purpose of furthering my education. I have made so many new friends along the way of my first semester at San Jose State and those peers of mine have all given me valuable advice and information on how to be safe and successful on campus. The benefits of having so many new friends is that many of them can guide you in the right direction if you ever encounter some sort of dilema. In a time where unemployment and a failing economy exist, its crucial to be as competitive as you can be in the job market because having a college degree will help you stand out of the croud.

My college experience has permitted me to realize that I am capable of accomplishing anything I set my mind to. I have had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with many people of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It has been an especially significant eye-opening experience for me because I did have doubts about whether or not I would be able to succeed after having been out of school for so many years. There have however, been times during my college journey that I felt as if I was on the brink of throwing in the towel due to a heavy workload. Yet, each time I thought of quitting, I somehow summoned the resolve to continue pushing myself, all the while remaining focused on my goals. It has been valuable to attend college because it has allowed me to acquire a wealth of knowledge that I would not have attained had I not enrolled.

My undergraduate university was extremely valuable in the sense that I was able to grow as an individual through the adversity I faced there. Since I did not have ample resources available at San Jose State University, I was forced to seek out resources in the greater Bay Area and at neighboring schools with much more resources, such as Stanford University. Through Stanford's minority medical outreach program, I was able to find a medical student mentor to help me on my ideal career path of becoming a medical doctor. Thus, from my college experience I have become proactive , persistent, and resourceful. This has served me well in medical school as I continue to utilize these skills to succeed in the rigorous medical school environment. I know that I will continue to employ these skills in my future career as a medical doctor as I fight for underserved patients' rights and find creative ways to ensure that they have access to quality healthcare.

I am currently a sophomore at San Jose State. This semester I decided to pledge for a community service co- ed fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, in order to become a more involved individual on campus and in the community. The principals of Alpha Phi Omega are leadership, friendship and service. I can honestly say that the contributions I made in the Fraternity has helped me develop into a better leader for both my brother and friends to look up to. Throughout the ten weeks of pledging, I got the chance to meet and know why the 64 amazing people, who pledged with me, are the way they are. I know the friendships I made within the fraternity will last forever. By joining Alpha Phi Omega and participating in the hundreds of service projects available, I was able to give back unselfishly to my chapter, campus, community, and the country. Since pledging Alpha Phi Omega, I feel like I have a purpose at San Jose State and a second family that I can lean on when I am down.

The one thing that I have gotten out of my experience and SJSU is that you really have to work hard if you really want something. I thought that SJSU would be relaxing, but it's not. I am really pushing my self to make sure that i am doing everything right. So now in my everyday life i push myself to make sure i am doing the right thing and not just coasting through life.

I love the astmosphere and the ability to increase my knowledge. I feel that college can bring out the best in people and it gave me a new sense of responsiblity. By living on my own and finding my way around I was able gain independance and know how to tell the diifference between whats real and fake. Everyone should go to college whether it be close to home or out of state it is just the best experenice that I would never trade for in the world.

College is so very different in high school, in so many ways. There are no teachers to nag you about homework. It's so nice to be treated like an adult. I have been going to college going on 3 years now, and I have to say that the most valuable experience I have had thus far has been in learning about myself. I've learned about my own educational needs, of course such as the fact that I take in information very well in a lecture and note/taking environment. I've learned that I am very gifted in the writing department, while I do struggle heavily with mathematics. I've also discovered by complete and total chance that I am extremely interested in archaeology. More then that, I have also found that I get along better with people much older then me, usually when they are in their late 30's to early 40's.